Notice and Takedown: Online Service Provider and Rightsholder Accounts of Everyday Practice

64 J. Copyright Soc'y 371, Summer 2017

40 Pages Posted: 1 Mar 2018 Last revised: 10 May 2018

See all articles by Jennifer M. Urban

Jennifer M. Urban

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

Joe Karaganis

Columbia University - The American Assembly

Brianna Schofield

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law; Authors Alliance

Date Written: November 1, 2017

Abstract

Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act established both "safe harbors" from liability for online service providers and the well-known "notice and takedown" process for removing online infringements of copyrighted material. In the ensuing two decades, the notice and takedown process has become a primary tool for raising and resolving copyright disputes in the United States.

But despite its influence, there is little empirical research describing § 512's operation or its effectiveness. This article digests findings from a qualitative study, reported fully in the three-study report, Notice and Takedown in Everyday Practice (available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=2755628) and peer-reviewed here, that helps fill this gap. Through detailed surveys and interviews with nearly three dozen respondents, we provide the first detailed account of how § 512 is implemented and experienced by online service providers and large rightsholders. All respondents agreed that the § 512 safe harbors and the ability to take down infringing material remain fundamental. But the online copyright enforcement ecosystem is also highly diverse, and all participants face challenges. The findings suggest that the notice and takedown system is important, under strain, and that there is no "one size fits all" approach to improving it. Based on the findings, we suggest a variety of best practices and limited legal reforms.

Keywords: copyright, section 512, notice and takedown, takedown, intermediary liability, intermediary, enforcement, infringement, empirical

Suggested Citation

Urban, Jennifer M. and Karaganis, Joe and Schofield, Brianna and Schofield, Brianna, Notice and Takedown: Online Service Provider and Rightsholder Accounts of Everyday Practice (November 1, 2017). 64 J. Copyright Soc'y 371, Summer 2017, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3126401

Jennifer M. Urban (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law ( email )

342 Boalt Hall, North Addition
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States
(510) 642-7338 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.samuelsonclinic.org

Joe Karaganis

Columbia University - The American Assembly ( email )

New York, NY
United States

HOME PAGE: http://americanassembly.org/

Brianna Schofield

Authors Alliance ( email )

2705 Webster St. #5805
Berkeley, CA 94705
United States

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law ( email )

215 Boalt Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States

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